Category Archives: Food TV

Take Five with New Orleans Chef John Besh, On Life Post-Katrina

James Beard award-winning Chef John Besh. (Photo courtesy of John Besh)

To know and understand New Orleans Chef John Besh, all you need do is read this most telling description of him that was written two years after Hurricane Katrina laid waste to the cherished city that he has called home most of his life.

In the New York Times then, my friend and colleague, Kim Severson, summed up Besh as the “ex-Marine who rode into the flooded city with a gun, a boat and a bag of beans and fed New Orleans until it could feed itself.”

Four years after Katrina rained untold devastation upon his beloved New Orleans, Besh is still its savior. Wherever he travels, the 41-year-old chef, who exudes an irresistible Southern warmth that makes strangers feel they’ve known him all their life, can’t help but be a cheerleader for New Orleans’ past, present, and future.

When Katrina hit, Besh had just bought out his investor in his flagship Restaurant August in New Orleans. He was up to his toque in debt, and feared he would lose everything.

Like the city itself, though, he persevered, excavating himself from that murky uncertainty to a place of hope and possibility.

Now, he is poised to open his sixth restaurant in Louisiana. He’s also written a new cookbook, “My New Orleans: The Cookbook” (Andrews McMeel). A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the book will be donated to Cafe Reconcile, a New Orleans non-profit dedicated to providing at-risk youth the skills needed to enter the hospitality and restaurant industries.

You can meet Besh this week, when he’ll be in the Bay Area to sign copies of his book. He’ll appear at a free event at Omnivore Books in San Francisco, 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Oct. 14. He’ll do a cooking demo, noon to 1 p.m. Oct. 15 at the Ferry Building in San Francisco, which will be followed by a dinner event that night at Left Bank restaurant in Larkspur at 6 p.m.

I had a chance to chat with him by phone last week about the past few tumultuous, yet ultimately rejuvenating years.

Q: Your new cookbook is almost a love story about New Orleans. What compelled you to write this book in this way?

A: The last thing I wanted to do was create another chef-y cookbook. In this day and age, we’re so caught up in fancy restaurants. But the most important thing is that everyone comes from somewhere and everyone has a story. And this is my somewhere and my story.

When you understand the story and where the food comes from, you can cook it with more authenticity and soul. If we’re not careful, we will lose the last little places that have their own true cuisine. I felt that especially after Katrina, when Republicans let us down, when politicians all over let us down, and we were just left on our own. It prompted me to think more about the validity of these great traditions. New Orleans is a city of good values. It values people, it values good times, and it values tradition.

Besh's gorgeous and endearing new cookbook.

Q: You evacuated the city, then came back right after Katrina hit?

A: My family evacuated. I have a wife whom every man would dream of having. She’s smart, strong, and takes care of the family, which allowed me to be relatively independent.

They left two days before Katrina hit, and went to North Carolina. I was here, helping to get my father out of town. He’s up in age and paralyzed (after being hit by a drunk driver 32 years ago). After we made sure our employees were taken care of, it was just myself and my partner in Dominica restaurant, who came back into the city a few days later.

Q: Did your Marines training come in handy for what awaited you in New Orleans?

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Take Five with Chef Dominique Crenn, the Bay Area Favorite On”The Next Iron Chef”

San Francisco's Dominique Crenn dukes it out on "The Next Iron Chef.'' (Photo courtesy of the Food Network)

Of the 10 competitors set to do battle starting 9 p.m. Oct. 4 in the second season of the Food Network’s “The Next Iron Chef,” only one is from the Bay Area.

With competitor Nate Appleman, late of San Francisco’s A16, moving to New York earlier this year, that leaves only competitor Dominique Crenn of San Francisco’s Luce restaurant as the hometown favorite.

That’s just fine by this gutsy 44-year-old French woman, too. She’s never been one to back off from any challenge. Indeed, Crenn, who was told early on by French cooking school administrators that she’d never make it as a chef because she’s a woman, has always held her own. Not only did she go on to cook at one of the most illustrious restaurants of its time — Stars in San Francisco — but she also became the first female executive chef in Indonesia.

Tune in to see if she has what it takes to join the ranks of Mario Batali, Cat Cora, Bobby Flay, Masaharu Morimoto, and Michael Symon as an “Iron Chef.”

I had a chance to preview the first episode — albeit without the ending included (say what?) — and all I can say is the production values have really gone up from the first season. There’s even more flash and pomp this time around.

Last week, Crenn and I talked by phone about her experiences on the show, one of the bizarre ingredients she ended up with, and the weird dynamics she experienced while competing with Appleman.

Q: So how did you get involved with “The Next Iron Chef”?

A: When I was in New York, the producers approached me. I was cooking for the James Beard Foundation, and cooking for the press. They flew me to Los Angeles to cook for them. And then they asked me to be on the show.

Q: Why did you want to do the show?

A: To be honest, I didn’t really want to at first. (laughs)

Weeks before that, I was approached for “Top Chef.” I think it was for the “Masters” show.  I don’t really watch TV. “Top Chef” seemed more like a drama, while “The Next Iron Chef” seemed more about food and getting together with chefs who have unbelievable talent. It seemed more credible and interesting.

Q: Had you been a fan of the “Iron Chef” shows before all of this?

A: My favorite is the Japanese “Iron Chef” show. I watched it all the time in the 1990’s. Those chefs were amazing. You really saw their pedigree. And you saw things you’ve never seen before. You saw Ron Siegel (now executive chef of the Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton San Francisco) win. Plus, it was funny.

But no, I had not watched “The Next Iron Chef” before. I just got cable two days ago!

Chef Dominique Crenn gets last minute instructions from commentator Alton Brown. (Photo courtesy of the Food Network)

Q: I know you have a very competitive spirit. Did you also compete in sports when you were younger?

A: I used to play soccer. I used to kick some ass! (laughs) It’s a man’s world again — the soccer world. I used to play soccer with men a lot.

I also did judo for many years. I was a runner; I did the 200-meter. I’m very competitive, but really with myself. I love to win. But it’s more than winning. It’s pushing the envelope. It’s not about failing or succeeding; it’s about trying your best.

Q: On the premiere episode, it looks like Chef Appleman is acting a bit condescending toward you. What’s up with that?

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Get Ready for Burgers, Chocolate, Celeb Chefs, and More

Fleming's Prime Burger is a mouth-full and then some. (Photo courtesy of Fleming's)

Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar is rolling out a bevy of burgers on its bar menu.

Sit down in the bar area at either of the two Bay Area locations, Palo Alto and Walnut Creek, to take your pick of Fleming’s Prime Burger (with cheddar cheese and peppered bacon, $12), Sliced Filet Mignon Burger (with sauteed mushrooms and Bernaise sauce, $18), Jumbo Lump Crab Cake Burger (with creamy mustard sauce, $16), Ahi Tuna Burger (with soy ginger sauce, $12), or Portobello Mushroom Burger (with sauteed spinach and creamy goat cheese, $10).

All are accompanied by a mini wedge salad and onion rings.

Every Wednesday through September from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., the restaurant will offer complimentary samplings of its burger menu to entice you even more.

Chocolate and more chocolate star at the Ghirardelli Square Chocolate Festival. (Photo courtesy of Ghirardelli)

If chocolate is more your thing, you’ll be in heaven at the 14th annual Ghirardelli Square Chocolate Festival, noon to 5 p.m. Sept. 12-13.

More than 40 vendors will be showcasing their chocolate creations, including Kika’s Treats, Mary Louise Butters Brownies, and Ciao Bella Gelato.

There will be live music, as well as a “Hands Free” Earthquake Ice Cream Sundae Eating Contest. Yes, it’s just what you think it is, and just as messy. The winner takes home a ginormous basket of Ghirardelli chocolate.

Top Chef's Casey Thompson. (Photo courtesy of the Ghirardelli Square Chocolate Festival)

If that weren’t enough, “Top Chef” finalist, Casey Thompson, will lead the cooking demonstrations at 2 p.m. both days.  Bravo TV fans may remember that Thompson was not only voted “America’s Favorite” on the show, but nicknamed “the Jennifer Aniston of cooking” by the one and only Anthony Bourdain.

The festival is free. Chocolate tasting tickets are $20 for 15 tastings. The event benefits Project Open Hand, a San Francisco non-profit that provides meals to seniors and seriously ill individuals.

Summer heirloom tomatoes go swank at Masa’s in San Francisco.

The restaurant is featuring a “Celebration of Tomatoes’‘ eight-course menu for $105 per person, Tuesday through Saturday nights through September. Wine pairing is an additional $79.

Dishes are expected to include ones such as Green Zebra tomato gazpacho with ricotta cheese flan and Gravenstein apple salad; and pan-seared medallion of prime New York beef with roasted tomato tartlette. The tomatoes are from Verdure Farm in Healdsburg.

Seafood goes Italian-style at Poggio Trattoria in Sausalito.

Sept. 15-19, the restaurant will host “Festa di Pesce” to showcase local seafood such as sardines, calamari, anchovies, mackerel, and swordfish.

Chef Peter McNee will debut a special menu of crudo (raw, marinated, cured), and cotto (cooked) seafood antipasti. They will be priced from $7 to $9, or three for $21. A pairing of three tastes of Italian wine is an additional $12 per person.

Duck leg confit with plum glaze, which I got to sample last week at LarkCreekSteak.

The Lark Creek Restaurant Group spotlights South Australia through September.

The “South Australia Comes to America” promotion will feature menus, wines, and special events showcasing the fourth largest of Australia’s six states. South Australia is one and a half times larger than Texas, and accounts for about 60 percent of all wine made in Australia.

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Remembering Julia Child

Juicy, sweet, and jammy.

With long-awaited arrival of “Julie & Julia” in theaters this month, foodies can’t help but remember the one and only Julia Child, who inspired legions to cook with confidence and daring-do in their own kitchens.

I haven’t had the pleasure yet of seeing the movie, though I was fortunate to get a quick peek at a preview clip at this year’s James Beard Awards Gala in New York. Of course, it only left me hungry for more. As a long-time food writer, I had the pleasure of interviewing Julia a number of times. She was always gracious and charming. It was a true pleasure to interact with her in any shape or form. That familiar lilting, bird-like voice never ceased to make me smile every time I heard it.

I still have a couple of menus, souvenirs from lunches and dinners hosted in her honor. There’s the one from her 90th birthday party at the Fifth Floor in San Francisco, when illustrious chefs Laurent Gras and Ron Siegel cooked dishes such as “Corn Vichyssoise with Caviar” and “Duck A La Julia Child” to commemorate the grand occasion.

Remembering a lunch from years ago that honored Julia.

There’s another menu from a lunch in 2000 to debut her cookbook with Jacques Pepin, “Julia and Jacques Cooking At Home” (Alfred A. Knopf). The three-course lunch was made up of dishes from the book, including “Avocado and Grapefruit Salad with Belgian Endive, Frisee, Toasted Hazelnuts, and Champagne Vinaigrette.”

I started leafing through that book, only to realize I had forgotten that both Julia and Jacques had signed the inside page. Her signature was clear and straightforward, much like the woman, herself.

The book, signed by Jacques and Julia.

I turned on my oven, and set about making her “Provencal Tomatoes,” the traditional French accompaniment of roasted tomatoes stuffed with herbs and bread crumbs — a true classic just like Julia was.

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Just the Two of Us

A taste of old and new.

I remember the worn Formica table, and not much else.

It was one of many such tables at a hole-in-the-wall restaurant in San Francisco’s Chinatown, the kind with bare wooden chairs beside it, and brusque, Chinese-speaking waiters in white shirts and black vests who came by to take your order in a snap.

I was barely grammar school age then, possibly even younger.

I remember that place because my Dad would take me there. Just the two of us.

I’m not sure why my Mom and older brothers are absent from these memories. Maybe these father-daughter excursions happened when my Dad had days off from work. Maybe we’d end up picking up take-out for the rest of the family afterward. I wish I could recall.

What I do remember is how excited I always was whenever he brought me to this particular restaurant. You see, it wasn’t like any other restaurant in Chinatown. You could enjoy your standard Chinese food there, of course, but you also could order “American” food. At that age, that was a real treat to me then. And apparently to my Dad, as well.

My Dad would sometimes order a plate of Chinese beef stew, savoring the chewy tendon pieces most of all. Or he would sometimes have the same thing that I did. A creature of habit at that young age, I always went for the same dish: veal cutlet. It came with a gob of mashed potatoes, and a pile of those heated up, homogeneous looking frozen peas and carrots.

It was the cutlet I was most thrilled by, of course. There was just something special about that thin, tender slab, all perfectly crispy and golden brown sitting in the spotlight on that plate. I happily ate one fork-full after another, until it was all gone, and I’d have to wait until my Dad brought me back to that restaurant to enjoy it again. You see, it was the only place I ever ate that dish. My parents never cooked it at home. And I never ordered it anywhere else. Not even as an adult.

Then, a copy of “Relaxed Cooking with Curtis Stone” (Clarkson Potter) arrived in my mail. As I leafed through the cookbook by the host of TLC’s “Take Home Chef,” one photo in particular stopped me. There it was — a veal cutlet all crispy and golden looking like yesteryear.

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